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Hyperloop hits 192 mph in latest test

Will flying cars render the whole airless-tunnel concept moot?

August 3, 2017

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Hyperloop, one of several hopeful industry-disrupting transportation technologies thought up by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, experienced its fastest full-scale test to date a few days ago, reaching 192 mph at a specially created 500-meter-long, above-ground tunnel in the Nevada desert. The test was hailed as a success by the company, representing Phase 2 of the testing program with the first-generation pod accelerating for 300 meters using electric motors while gliding above a track using magnetic levitation. The tube itself was depressurized to the equivalent of 200,000 feet above sea level to dramatically lower the aerodynamic resistance within the tube, a crucial component of the theory behind this method of high-speed travel.

"We’ve proven that our technology works, and we’re now ready to enter into discussions with partners, customers and governments around the world about the full commercialization of our Hyperloop technology," said Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd. "We’re excited about the prospects and the reception we’ve received from governments around the world to help solve their mass transportation and infrastructure challenges."

The Hyperloop's pod achieves acceleration within the tube using linear induction motors located along the route of the tube, with the pod essentially gliding along the length of the tunnel with no rolling resistance and little air resistance.

The Hyperloop requires tubes, almost completely drained of air, to reduce atmospheric resistance. Photo by Hyperloop One

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The recent experiment represented the most realistic test of the system to date, with a bus-sized pod accelerating down a tunnel half a kilometer long. A real-world application imagines the Hyperloop connecting cities, with a trip from New York to Washington, D.C., promised to take about 30 minutes. The promise of the Hyperloop essentially boils down to providing faster travel between cities without airplanes, and with domestic air travel being what it is, it's difficult to avoid looking at other alternatives.

“Our team of engineers continues to make history at DevLoop," said Josh Giegel, president of engineering and co-founder of Hyperloop One. "Only a handful of teams would have attempted something so audacious, while far less could have achieved it. Through tireless preparation, dedication and hard work, we successfully completed Phase 1, proving that Hyperloop One technology works and that Hyperloop is real. Phase 2 was far more difficult as we built upon everything we learned from our initial test and accomplished faster speeds at a farther distance. We’re now one step closer to deploying Hyperloop around the world.”

There is still work to do, with the concept's critics citing eye-watering infrastructure costs and the realities of actual construction as one of the main hurdles of this transportation system, before purely business issues like actual profitability are factored in. The project's detractors also cite the fixed nature of Hyperloop tunnels as being an insufficient alternative to air travel; tunnels connecting cities have to exist first, before they can become a hopefully cheaper alternative to decrepit 737s that haven't been aired out in months. Those on the fence about the Hyperloop's promise also fret about the timeline for the first full-scale service between cities, pointing out that flying cars will likely get here long before the first commercial hyperloops are built.

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Finally, the Hyperloop is seen by critics as a more expensive alternative to a fast train, such as Japan's Shinkansen high-speed trains that can hit 200 mph with mag-lev versions of the Shinkansen prototypes having achieved 375 mph in recent tests. Why go through the trouble of building airless tubes if existing rail lines, with land already in use, can be ripped out in favor of mag-lev tracks for Shinkansen-style bullet trains?

Is the Hyperloop truly something viable or a diversion from other promising tech, such as VTOL flying cars that are also on the brink of going commercial? Time will tell, but for now the company is pouring plenty of money into further development of the concept.